


one, two, three times

by LNC



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU, Adrinette, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, ladrien, tumblr kiss prompt collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22081084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LNC/pseuds/LNC
Summary: Kiss, kiss fall in love.  Or something.A collection of tumblr kiss prompts.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 83
Kudos: 605





	1. look what you made me do

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Adrinette, out of spite.
> 
> No Umbrella Scene AU; Set during Horrificator

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on, M,” Alya hissed, gripping her arm tightly as she dragged her away from their waiting classmates. “I’m not happy about this either but with Mylene AWOL we need to keep this moving.”

Marinette frowned in the direction their frightened friend had run. When Nino first brought up entering the student film festival Mylene had seemed the obvious choice for the lead. That was, of course, before Alya presented them with her script.

Horror movies really weren’t Mylene’s _thing_.

They weren’t Marinette’s either but here she was, being pressured into accepting the recently vacated role. Not something she’d be interested in in the best of situations but especially something she wanted to avoid when it involved acting opposite _him_.

Adrien Agreste was a recent addition to Francois Dupont and, for Marinette at least, a decidedly unwelcome one. Juvenile pranks like gum on seats notwithstanding, Chloe had become almost unbearable since his arrival. Everything was Adrikins this and Dupain- _Cheng_ that and while Adrien didn’t seem to actively encourage her behavior he did nothing to stop her.

Nino said he was just shy. Marinette struggled to find it in herself to care.

Sure, he was no Hawkmoth. But he was certainly no Chat Noir either.

As if following her train of thought Alya squeezed her arm.

“Just for a few scenes,” Alya begged. “Just long enough for us to keep Chloe at bay while we track down Mylene. You’re the only one who knows all the lines.

It was true. She’d been running lines with most of the cast at some point or another over the last several weeks but damn it all if she didn’t regret it now.

Marinette sighed. “What scenes are we talking about here?”

Alya bounced. “I love you.”

“Mmhmm.” She said as she was shoved towards Juleka, already ready with makeup brush in hand. She watched as Alya informed Nino of the change in plans, flipping through the script with him so they could figure out the next scene.

“Ivan’s out looking for her,” Juleka mumbled as she applied the blush. 

Marinette scowled. “He shouldn’t have had to.”

Chloe was in prime form today. No one could doubt how _she_ felt about the casting. Especially not when Mylene was leading opposite Adrien.

“Are you taking over for Mylene?”

Marinette looked over as Adrien approached them, smiling.

“Just temporarily.” She said. “Until we can track her down.”

The rebuke in her voice was clear.

Adrien grimaced. “Yeah. I’m… sorry about Chloe. I know she can be a lot.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

They stood there in uneasy silence. Juleka put the finishing touches on her makeup and removed herself. Marinette knew from the way Adrien was shifting beside her that he wanted to say something, anything, but couldn’t quite find the words.

She slanted a glance in his direction only to catch him staring.

“What?”

He blushed and looked away. “Nothing.”

She watched him shift uncomfortably and she was struck with the memory of Alya insisting that Adrien _liked_ her.

Pfft.

“A _kiss_?” Alya’s indignant cry carried across the classroom. 

“Uh oh,” Adrien muttered and dread shot down her spine.

 _What_ kiss?

“It’s a horror movie not a romance, Lahiffe.”

Nino shook his head. “It’s called raising the stakes, _Cesaire_.”

“I can’t believe you rewrote my script without asking!”

“Artistic license,” He said, shrugging as Alya vibrated with fury. “Now if you don’t mind, we're under a time crunch.” Then, to the room at large. “Places everyone!”

Horrified, Marinette looked towards Adrien whose face was rapidly turning red as he glared at his best friend.

“Did you know about this?”

He shook his head.

Marinette was inclined to believe him. He looked just as blindsided as she’d been.

Nino directed them to their positions, instructing Adrien to put his hands around Marinette’s waist and for Marinette to place hers on his shoulders. It was an awkward embrace, stiff and unnatural.

“Loosen up! You’re lovers who just escaped from a man-eating monster not preteens at their first dance!”

Honestly, she was going to kill Nino if Alya didn’t get to him first.

“Annnnnnd action!”

“I’m not scared of that monster Officer Jones.”

“CUT!” Nino dropped his camera to his side and scowled. “What was _that_?”

Marinette pulled away from Adrien. “That was the line.”

“I know it was the line. But you delivered it like you were about to have your stomach pumped not like you were about to kiss the love of your life.”

“What do you want from me, Nino? I’m not an actress!” She shook her head. “Besides, we should be waiting for Mylene anyway. She should be back any minute now.”

“There’s no time for that!” Nino said, waving her words away. “If nothing else we need to block the scene properly. So this time, please remember you’re in the romantic climax of the movie.” 

Marinette sighed and retook her position in Adrien’s arms. He gave her an apologetic grimace.

“I’m sorry about Nino.”

“Why? It’s not your fault.”

Adrien blushed. “N-no. Of course not. But still I can tell you’re uncomfortable.”

Marinette considered him for a moment and felt a small part of her resentment fade away. Here, at least, he was sincere. Besides, she wasn’t wrong– Adrien really couldn’t be held responsible for _Nino’s_ idiocy.

_But the same reasoning can’t be applied to Chloe, right?_

Marinette ignored the Tikki-like prick at her conscience. Being steamrolled by a friend in the grips of Artistic Passion and enabling a bully were two entirely different things. Especially when said bully only ever seemed to care about one person’s good opinion anyway.

“It’s fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Honestly, Marinette,” Nino chided. “You’re acting opposite _Adrien Agreste_ not some B-list dropout. At least show _some_ enthusiasm.”

Something inside Marinette snapped.

 _I’ll show_ you _enthusiasm._

With a low growl Marinette reached forward and yanked Adrien’s head to hers, crashing their lips together in a hard, punishing kiss. Her lips moved over his, once, twice, before his lack of response had her biting his bottom lip. He gasped into her mouth and his hands, slack at his side, slowly rose to encircle her waist. She leaned into him further, her fingers tracing down from his cheeks to his shoulders and then up around his neck to meet in the middle. A warm tingling pooled in her belly and it took Marinette another minute to realize she wasn’t supposed to be enjoying this.

The kiss ended as abruptly as it started. Stumbling back, Marinette ignored the whooping of her classmates and the slightly glazed look in Adrien’s eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and she wasn’t sure she could claim it was entirely from embarrassment.

But she would be damned if she let anyone else know that.

“T-there you go. Was that enough _enthusiasm_ for you, Lahiffe?”

Nino and Alya stared blankly at her from beneath their glasses. Slowly, Nino nodded and Marinette gave a triumphant huff.

“Now.” She said, turning her back to her classmates and avoiding Adrien’s stupefied stare. “If we’re done _blocking_ here I’m going to go find Mylene. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”


	2. untouchable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ladrien, discreetly
> 
> Set during Glaciator; No Balcony Scene AU

He saw her first.

She was sitting on the ledge of a house across the street and two rooftops over. Her shoulders were slumped forward and she was kicking her legs out, one then the other, back and forth, sky then brick. It was her  _ I’m not upset _ ,  _ Chat, I’m just… thinking _ pose and Adrien hoped with some vindictiveness that  _ he _ was the one she was thinking about.

Apparently Ladybug was too busy to meet up with Chat Noir but not too busy to lounge around on some random rooftop. And  _ of course _ she could make time for her  _ real _ friends and then some while her partner sat around with candles and flowers and a picnic he never got around to eating like the hopeless idiot he was.

_ God, she must think I’m so stupid. _

Not that Ladybug even knew the effort he’d gone to for her tonight.

Adrien sighed, feeling his resentment escaping with his breath.

It was probably his fault anyways. Ladybug never actually  _ said _ she would be able to come. Any hopes she’d dashed with her busy schedule were ones she never meant to raise anyways. That was all on him.

“I should have just asked her if she were free a different night.”

He’s not sure he would have had better luck but there was always a chance. He snorted, knowing how slim that chance actually was. His lady was ever the professional– she’d probably be too worried about their identities to show up no matter when he offered to bring her dinner.

_ Although… _ Adrien frowned, watching Ladybug from the window.  _ She doesn’t seem too busy right now _ .

Before he could think better of it, he reached forward and pushed his window open, the squeaking of the hinges catching the superheroine’s attention. Adrien gave a wave and an awkward smile. At least, he felt it was awkward.

But he’d be damned if Chat Noir missed an opportunity to talk to his lady even if she didn’t know it was him.

Ladybug smiled and waved back. Even from here Adrien could see it was her savior smile, her  _ all-is-well-in-Paris _ smile.

But Adrien knew better.

He hesitated, glancing back at his kwami who was currently rummaging through the trash can.

“Plagg I’m going to need you to hide.”

“What? Why?”

Adrien looked back towards his lady and gestured for her to come closer. “Because I’m about to invite Ladybug inside.”

“Kid are you a glutton for punishment? She’s not going to  _ eyah _ !” Plagg’s words ended on an indignant grunt as Ladybug landed on Adrien’s window sill. 

Even as he’d watched her swing over to him he still wasn’t sure she would actually stay. Ladybug didn’t seem too sure herself as she hung down from her yoyo attached to one of the many decorative outcroppings on the mansion.

Her eyes were wary but she smiled her savior smile all the same.

“Is everything okay?”

Adrien nodded, feeling a little embarrassed that his impulse actually brought her to him.

“I – yeah. I was actually going to ask you the same thing.”

“Oh?”

“It’s just usually we don’t see you around much unless there’s an akuma or you’re with Chat Noir.”

He struggled to maintain a neutral expression even as he blatantly fished for information. He hoped whenever (because it had to be when it just had to be) they finally revealed themselves to each other this night was a forgotten blip in her memory.

Ladybug shook her head.

“Paris is safe.” She paused. “I was actually just looking for Chat.”

A thrill shot through him.

“You were looking for Chat Noir?”

Ladybug sighed. “Yeah. He mentioned possibly meeting up tonight. I told him I already had plans but… well, things changed. I was hoping he might still be hanging around here somewhere.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” 

_ Stupid. Stupid. He should have waited longer _ .

Adrien wondered if it were still too late to sneak out and set everything up again. As tempting as the idea was, he wasn’t sure how he could shake Ladybug  _ now _ and ensure she was still out long enough to meet up with Chat Noir. Adrien nearly groaned. He seemed doomed to failure either way.

Ladybug bit her lip, unaware of his inner turmoil, and watched him from beneath her lashes. 

“What about you?” She said.

“Me?”

“Yeah. What… what brought you out here tonight.” She made a vague gesture to the window and smiled. He blinked.

“Ah. I um, also thought I had plans. But they fell through.”

“I’m sorry.”

She said it like she understood. And maybe she thought she did. Gabriel Agreste made no secret of how… protective… he was over him. She probably assumed it was his father’s fault he missed out on what he had hoped to be a romantic evening with his lady.

His lady who was looking rather put out herself.

Which made him wonder...

“These plans that fell through…” He hesitated. “They were important?”

It was Ladybug’s turn to blink.

“I- um. N-no. Well,  _ yes _ , but you-  _ they- _ it– ah.” She cringed, her shoulders falling forward in defeat. Adrien was so distracted by her unusual stammering that he almost missed her next words. “The boy… the boy I like was supposed to be there.”

But when they did register boy did they  _ register _ .

Something pinched deep in Adrien’s gut.

“The boy you– oh.” He said, softly.

She gave a small, sad laugh. “Yeah. Pathetic huh?”

He shook his head even if he couldn’t quite speak yet. Adrien had never given thought to it before – if Ladybug had someone outside the suit. Well, that’s not  _ entirely _ true, but in all of his fantasies it was a moot point because she loved him too. Now it seemed there was a boy, some nameless idiot who held her heart and still managed to put that sad look on his lady’s face.

But still he had to ask–

“I always thought you and Chat Noir…?”

Here she laughed for real and irritation prickled his skin. He hadn’t meant it as a joke.

“I’m sorry,” She said, catching his expression, eyes still light even as her laughter faded into a smile. “It’s just, well, it’s  _ Chat _ . He’s a flirt but he doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” He murmured, angry at the sudden turn of their conversation. Even if he’d managed to meet up with her tonight it wouldn’t have mattered. She loved someone else and she thought Chat Noir was a joke.

“Trust me,” She said. “He’s one of my best friends. I think I would know.”

Adrien had to smile at the way she said  _ best friend _ even if she was completely and totally  _ wrong _ .

“But you don’t know for sure, right?” Ladybug pressed her lips together, unimpressed. “You don’t know without a doubt that Chat Noir doesn’t have feelings for you?”

“I suppose not.” She watched him for a moment from suspicious eyes framed by long black lashes and Adrien shifted uneasily beneath her gaze. Finally, she shook her head and sighed. “It wouldn’t matter either way. I’m in love with someone else.”

But it did matter. It mattered a lot when Ladybug sounded so  _ sad _ . It mattered the world when the answer was everything he’d ever wanted.

“But if you weren’t?” 

Ladybug swayed softly with her yoyo even as she gripped his window sill with her free hand. 

Her eyes were wary as he took a step closer. “If I wasn’t what?”

“If you weren’t in love with someone else would it matter then?”

Hands trembling he reached forward to take her hand so that the only thing keeping her steady was her feet on his ledge. He wasn’t sure what was more surprising- the fact that he was touching her at all or the fact that she let him. He ran his thumb over the spotted material covering her palm and steeled himself. 

He glanced up at his lady only to find her staring at their hands, lips parted in quiet surprise.

“Would you give him a chance?”

_ Would you give  _ me _ a chance? _

Ladybug’s eyes snapped to his. Wide and blue and stunned, she watched as he leaned forward, heart pounding, and placed a soft kiss against the inside of her wrist. The material was cool and foreign against his lips but he could feel her pulse racing against his fingers and it gave him the confidence he needed to pull away from her and smile.

“I–” Her eyes roved him over, from silk pajama pants to his bedtime mussy hair. She blinked, once, twice, too many times to count even as he tried. A blush nearly as vibrant as her suit spread from beneath her mask and she let out something like a squeak as she pulled her hand back from his, floundering for a response.

Coughing, he avoided his partner’s piercing stare and ran his hand over the back of his neck.

“You should ask him.” He finally said.

Ladybug’s voice was quiet. “Ask him.”

“Yeah,” He murmured, chest aching, cheeks blazing. “I think you’ll be surprised.”

He waited for the inevitable then, knowing he’d been more than an idiot in the last half hour and trying hard to feel anything like regret. But at least she would know. At least she could… make an informed decision.

_ God how pathetic am I? _

Adrien stared down at his feet and began to resign himself to a life of loneliness as the silence stretched out between them like forever. He could only hope this one moment of stupidity didn’t ruin Ladybug and Chat Noir or that Master Fu wouldn’t take Plagg away or that Chat Noir being  _ Adrien Agreste _ didn’t make it easier for her to reject him.

The whirring of her yoyo and the sight of red and black feet dropping down beside his own shook him from his spiraling thoughts. Adrien looked up to find her, smile soft, eyes softer, staring back at him.

“You know what,” She said, voice quivering with her hands as they reached for his. Adrien’s breath stuttered to a stop as she slowly raised them to her lips. “I think I will.”


	3. death by a thousand cuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ladynoir, where it doesn’t hurt.
> 
> Akumatized! Marinette

She came to when he slammed into her.

A blur of red and black and blonde, Marinette felt arms clutching her tightly. Suited hands ran over her hair, her hips, her back as Chat Noir– no, Mister Bug – tried and failed to find something wrong with her.

“Chat,” She murmured, not even bothering to try and pull away from his frantic ministrations. “Chat, I’m okay.”

Her head hurt something fierce and there was a disturbing gap in her memory. One moment she’d been crying in the bathroom stall over Lila’s latest attacks on her character and the next she was being cradled in her partner’s arms on a back alley fire escape.

“My lady,  _ Marinette _ , thank god, thank  _ god _ .” Chat croaked into her hair.

It didn’t take a Ladybug to realize what had happened. Horror, quick, and guilt, sharp, stabbed through her as the reality of the situation crashed down. There was only one explanation for Mister Bug and her memory gap.

She’d fucked up. She’d fucked up  _ so bad _ .

“Ch-at,” She whispered and his arms tightened around her. The familiar beeping of her earrings rang out and she knew he only had a few minutes before he transformed back. “Chat I’m so sorry.”

“No.” He said, shaking them both. “It wasn’t you. It wasn’t your fault.  _ Marinette _ , I– I’m…” His voice broke off on a sob and she slowly slipped her arms around his back, returning his embrace.

“Was it really bad?”

Her words fell in the space that wasn’t between them. Chat’s rumbling purr, self-soothing, vibrated against her chest.

“Did– did anyone else… Chat do they know?”

Here he managed a quiet  _ no _ and Marinette laughed, tears of relief slipping from her eyes. Her partner, eyes green and so, so  _ human _ stared down at her, tears building up like reflecting pools.

“I think,” He cleared his throat, tried to smile. “I think Lila won’t be fucking with you again though.”

“Th-that’s something,” She murmured, voice quivering as the shock slowly passed leaving her a shaking mess in Chat’s arms.

She’d been akumatized. Chat knew who she was. She’d failed.

_ Oh god, what would Tikki say? _

“Chat,” She said, voice cracking.

“Shh, no, buginette, no.” He said and she realized she didn’t need to say anything. He placed a kiss, warm and lingering against her forehead, not moving even as her earrings gave their final warning, as if he could dispel her doubts at the source.

Marinette closed her eyes against the warm, pink light that suffused him and she found herself burying her face not in familiar leather but soft cotton. Bare arms held her tightly as the boy behind the mask rocked her gently in the fading afternoon light, letting her fall apart, ready to put her back together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh the lovely @yuumi0035 on tumblr made art for this chapter which you should totally check out! https://yuumi0035.tumblr.com/post/190252455785/lnc2-thank-you-for-that-beautiful-fic-im-in-love


	4. we are never ever getting back together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Adrienette, in secrecy
> 
> Chat Blanc AU - Miraculous Ladybug sets everything to rights but Adrien still finds out Marinette is Ladybug and Marinette doesn’t know how or why but she knows somehow that her dating Chat Noir leads to him being akumatized and the world ending. When she finds out Adrien is Chat Noir (through some accident or other) she is forced to break up with him.

“Adrien,”

“Mmm.”

“Adri– _ah_ –” She gasped, arms tightening around his neck even as she attempted to pull away. His hair, disheveled, tickled the underside of her jaw as his lips made quick word of her collarbone, her ear lobe, her throat. “We can’t – we shouldn’t _– oh_.”

“Shh.” His breath whispered across her ear even as his hands slowly traced the column of her spine beneath her t-shirt.

Marinette gave in, collapsing against his chest with a sigh as his warm hands kneaded the muscles on her back.

They shouldn’t be doing this.

“I miss you,” He murmured against her temple.

“I know.” She said, tilting her head up so he could put his mouth to better use.

He grinned against her lips. “You miss _me_.”

She bit his bottom lip instead of lying like she should.

Tikki was going to put her through the ringer when they left this broom closet.

She couldn’t keep letting this happen.

Chat Blanc was months ago now but the vision of her partner and a bleak, blue and white world still haunted her dreams. Her partner’s words _our love did this_ echoed through the time stream. At the time she didn’t understand. When Adrien came to her with his own confession she thought she’d avoided that dystopian future.

Right up until the moment she discovered Plagg hiding in his backpack.

“Hey pigtails.”

Everything spiraled from there.

Their first break up lasted all of one hour only to end when Chat Noir came crashing through her skylight (summoned by a little black butterfly because _fuck_ Hawkmoth) and ended with both of them crying themselves to sleep wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Their second break up started minutes after Sabine found the two sleeping teens and let Adrien know Nathalie called looking for him.

“Marinette _please_ ,” He said, voice breaking, breaking her heart further still. “Why?”

She didn’t tell him about the half moon in the sky or the water that flooded their small world. She didn’t tell him about electric blue eyes or his hands reaching for her ears. She couldn’t really tell him anything beyond the ultimate lie:

“I don’t love you anymore.”

That break up lasted the longest. Two full weeks of holding back tears in school, dodging dirty looks from Chloe, Nino and the rest. Lying to Alya who kept pushing and pushing until all Marinette could do was break down and sob.

“I just don’t get it, girl.” She said, wrapping an arm around her distraught friend. “You were so happy.”

“I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you.”

Adrien looked terrible. Marinette looked worse. She’d catch him staring in class, at lunch, on patrol, but she did her best to keep her distance because that’s what a _good_ Ladybug should do. For Paris, for him.

Mostly for him.

It was an akuma that ruined everything.

Trapped together in a small space with nowhere else to run for the first time in weeks, it was Chat Noir’s quiet _I miss you_ that did Ladybug in.

Her confession was on purpose. 

The kissing was not.

But no sooner had she hesitantly answered his desperate _but… you still love me?_ than his hands were in her hair, claws combing through her pigtails, and everything was unraveling, unraveling.

“We’re going to find Hawkmoth.” He growled against her neck. “And then I’m going to find _you_.”

He found her before that though.

He found her _a lot_.

On patrols, in alleyways, in _closets_ …

“Please, my lady.” He sighed as her lips brushed his chin, his cheek, his temple. “ _Please_.”

Marinette dropped down to her heels but Adrien followed catching her denial before it ever left. She let him, her tongue darting against his only to pull back again as he whined against her lips.

This time when he tried to follow her he found her fingers instead.

“It’s not a never ever, Chaton.” She said, her heart flipping as he sighed against her skin.

Adrien released her slowly, hands tracing down her back, across the curve of her hip, before coming up to catch her hands in his and bring them up to his lips.

“I’m counting on it.”


End file.
